Actor Files Lawsuit Against Oscars For False Imprisonment in Academy 'Detention Center'

By PopEater Staff Posted Apr 23rd 2010 07:30AM

Hollywood newcomer Michael Avmen thought attending the Academy Awards would be the highlight of his burgeoning career. Instead, the actor claims that he and his wife were "tentatively confirmed" guests, but were "held against their will" for six hours in the Academy's "detention center," interrogated about how they were able to get onto the red carpet without tickets and accused of lying and trespassing. FOXNews reports that Avmen has now filed a $50 million lawsuit against The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for illegal false imprisonment and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Avmen has small roles in three upcoming films this year -- 'Broken Blade,' 'Battle: Los Angeles' and 'Straw Dogs,' starring Kate Bosworth and Alexander Skarsgard.

According to a suit filed in Central District Superior Court in California, Avmen was told he'd been offered a tentative invitation to the event, but despite several attempts by Avmen and his publicist, they were unable to locate the tickets. It's not unusual for the Academy to hold tickets inside the venue; actors such as Robert Downey Jr. also received their tickets on the day of the event. Avmen claims he was led to believe his tickets were waiting for him there.

On the afternoon of March 7, Avmen and his wife dressed up for the Oscars and an usher for the event took them from their hotel to a "resolution desk," where Avmen met an Academy employee with whom he'd been in contact.

After six hours of interrogation, Avmen says uniformed Los Angeles police officers arrived and took them to the station, but no charges were filed. Avmen claims that the officer apologized profusely for how they were treated by Academy officials.

Avmen's lawsuit states that he and his wife were "injured in health, strength and activity" and "sustained injury to his and her body and shock and injury to their nervous system" and have since suffered "humiliation, mental anguish and emotional and physical distress."

"If I or some 'REGULAR' individual acted as the Academy did, we would be in prison right now. I will show that these people aren't above the law," Avmen said in a statement. "Security is one thing, but this was outside the realm of excessive. My wife and I have suffered, and there has been a great injustice enforced."

Comments

(98)

Saturday 24 April

By adele

Vote down Vote up Report this

amen to that. this is to discuss the topic not criticize spelling and such. OR to pawn your websites and all that. Thanks for posting that N2 !

By oscar

1. ITS should be IT'S. Leaving out the apostrophe changes the meaning of the word.
2. A question requires a question mark at the end of the sentence. Otherwise you just sound like a raving lunatic.
3. It's not "my wife and I", it's "my wife and me". For God's sake, did you drop out of school in the fourth grade?
4. WONT is an adjective meaning "in the habit of doing something". WON'T is a contraction of will and not and means something entirely different.
N2, words MEAN things. Spelling is important because misspelled words change the meaning. Unless, of course, you're spouting an opinion and don't care whether it's either understood or respected. And, just so you know, typing in all caps makes you look a little bit insane.

Friday 23 April

By Barbara

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Not a good way to start off your career! But it was not right for them to hold him and his wife also.

By Stallone

I know...I've had the same thing happen to me each year since 2000.

By krs

This sounds like either really bad treatment by the Academy folks or a publicity stunt. Six hours of interrogation at the Academy and held against their will? Did either one have a cell phone to call police? Maybe a lot of detail left out the story but does sound fishy.

By valeskas

Hopefully Hollywood never will hire him or his wifey again. Who in the heck, he thinks he is, just another greedy american, who does not want to work, but sue. If everybody sued, because of 6 hours for 50 mill, we really would be bankrupt even more. This man and his wife, deserves nothing.Cannot stand people who sue for money, because they had to wait. This man and his wife are idi*ts.

By marie

you are the idiot. If someone held you against your will for 6 hours don't tell me you would forgive and forget. thats a lot of BS which apparently you don't mind spewing. Let the guy sue. No one should be treated this way beginning actor or not.

By Dude

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Actually, who do you think YOU are. How do YOU know he didn't suffer the humiliation(s) he described? Stop being a bloody republican nob-slobber.

If the Academy did this thing, it needs to cost the money.

Marie, you must be a friend of theirs and of course you probably like to sue too. Greedy bee.

By rlnyny

Can you say........Reality Show in the making

By Sherry Owings

I do not blame the Oscars for being Extra careful...their are real nutbars out there these days, crazed fans, and just plain ole' ordinary idiots. What he went through for 6 hours seems excessive though, seems to me that they should be able to make a determination fairly quickly if someone gets in or not...I mean seriously...why not just take the guy over to the corner, apologize that no tickets are here for him and send him home. WOuld have still pissed him off, but he would not have gone through 6 hours of being treated like a criminal...sounds like a misunderstanding on top of a bunch of people who did nothave a clue what they weer doing, and no one willing to make a decision.

By Jade

Hmm, the Academy has a detention center. You mean, kind of like high school? You go there when you are "bad".??

By WILL

THIS GUY CAN FORGET EVER GETTING AN OSCAR

By S.D. Humphries

Strange that some say this is a publicity stunt. It doesn't hint of a stunt in any way. Sounds like security folks overstepped their bounds. Not even the "real" police can hold someone for six hours without just cause. The academy has no legal authority to "hold" anyone. If they perceived a threat the authorities should have been called. Some folks here have not been very sympathetic. Somehow, I believe these very same folks would be screaming bloody murder if they were being held against their will. Let's put them all in a plane on a tarmac, for instance, for several hours and see how emotional they get.

By Mary

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Ushers don't take anyone from their HOTEL ROOMS! There are so many holes in this guy's story it isnt even funny! Your lucky if an usher shows you where your seat is!

By jake

Hollywood is a total FRAUD .. What is Hollywoods INFATUATION with crappy NAZI movies anyway ? It's like Hollywood is in some time wrap. No one is interested in Hollywood OSCARS except Hollywood.

By KRenner

I have to say, NO ONE would have held my wife and I in some "detention center" . I would have promptly kicked everyone's a**, and then left. No private entity has the right to hold anyone against their will. I hope the guy cleans their clock in court.

By Dan

Tiping erors dont meen u cant spel.I kan spel jest fine. jest knot a gud tipest.

By rcarol

Okay, they've had their 15 minutes of fame now they can forever claim abuse by forging ahead with a ridiculous lawsuit against the Academy. These two are no different than the couple that crashed the White House party. Oh my, looka hear.. I've even forgotten their names by this time. Ahhh fame, it's such a fleeting moment of vanity gone bad.

By Chris

Who cares!

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